A Black Fate
by brittanyybeth
Summary: AU. Time Travel. Regulus Black is in his final year of Hogwarts and everything seems to be perfect; most of all the love of his life, Rachel Lestrange. But that all changes when the Dark Lord's plans don't quite match up with their own and Rachel is thrown forward in time in a world where Regulus no longer exists. How will she cope? Will Sirius help? What will happen? Find out...!
1. Chapter 1

_1977 June_

He could hear the music playing. A tune everyone knew all too well; the wedding march. Now all there was to do was look up the aisle at the lovely bride making her final walk as a single woman.

She was radiant. Everything he had ever found beautiful all in one woman.

Her dress was the work of a hundred seamstresses for days on end. Custom made. As was expected by the crowd of respectable pure bloods in attendance. Her lace veil covered her delicate, flawless, pale white skin. Her shoes made her tiny stature stand tall enough to reach her groom when they shared their first kiss.

He could remember all the times she had found him to be just out of her reach on her tip toes. He chuckled at the idea of her jumping up to kiss him.

But what was truly beautiful was the woman underneath all that. Her lovely long dark hair arranged on the top of her head. Sleek and shiny, full of bounce and curls even done up in a veil. Green jewels laced through her hair with silver ribbon. Green, silver, and black. House colors.

He smiled again as he thought of how those details would have appealed to him in his earlier years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He had dreamed of a bride in silver and green. Dark hair and light skin. Perfect details on a perfect bride for a perfect life.

Now those things mattered nothing. The woman under all that was the only thing that mattered to him. He would do anything to make her happy and keep her happy. She was his bliss.

Now she was finally just feet away. Closer than that. Maybe inches from the end of the aisle. It was happening. Finally. She was so close to him. Their whole families and all of their friends watching. It was happening.

Her brother handed her to the man waiting for her at the end of the aisle. As she reached for her groom's hand he placed a delicate kiss on her cheek. She smiled and looked down chastely.

This didn't make sense. She should be laughing and blushing as always. They continued towards the minister and finally faced each other. And then he watched in horror as his beloved said her vows to Evan Rosier.

Regulus Black awoke with a start.


	2. Chapter 2

_1977 June_

Regulus Black awoke with a start.

Without a word he dressed, pulled on his robes, ran his fingers through his still silky, ever perfect, aristocratic hair, and dissapperated from Grimuald Place. He apperated into the foyer of a grand hall. Marble and stone everywhere with a distinctly unwelcomingly cold atmosphere. A house elf greeted him.

"Master Regulus we wasn't expecting you was we?" Regulus continued up the stairs silently, ignoring the elf's protests. The elf gave up as he reached the top. Regulus ignored the first bedrooms at the top of the grand staircase and proceeded to the last one at the back of the hall. He barged in immediately. The elf panting behind him.

"Mis-Missus… Master-Master Regu-Regulus is… Master wasn't announced. He is.." The woman in the room silenced the elf with a single delicate hand raised in the air. A voice rang out clear and firm like a knife on a glass. "You may leave us Tinky." The elf backed out of the room quickly.

Regulus stayed planted defiantly in the middle of the room. Eyes wide. Breath baited. Presence commanding. Almost impossible to ignore. But still the woman did. Several moments passed by and the woman still did not turn around.

She was dressed only in her dressing gown of green silk, and her long black hair flowed down her back. She continued to brush it, finally placing a silver headband in it, before returning the brush to the open drawer and then turning around.

She rose from her seat and place her hands on her hips in a snobbish manner. Her look said _who are you and why have you interrupted my morning ritual._ Any man would have quivered under her glare. Regulus did not.

Instead he strode further into the room, pushing the door shut with a wave of his hand, and when he reached her he grabbed her back with one hand, brushed her hair off her neck with the other, and kissed her full on the lips.

The woman smiled into the kiss as he swept her up and carefully carried her over to her bed. As they lay there kissing each other, arms wrapped around each other, she finally broke away.

"Regulus. To what do I owe this visit?" He smiled. "My love I could just not stay away!"

Her lips broke into a wide grin. "You were here less than 12 hours ago Reg. Tell me you aren't that needy." He scowled and moved away a bit. She giggled again, "Oh I was teasing, come back and tell me!"

Regulus continued to pretend pout as she brushed his dark hair out of his face with her long delicate fingers. She continued, "Seriously Reg tell me if something's bothering you. I want to help."

Finally he turned his gaze on her. He looked down as if ashamed and muttered "Just a dream. You married Rosier. I was watching." Her eyes grew wide for a moment and then dismissed it. "No he wouldn't make me. He can't. I have paid the debt. Or I will soon, rather."

Regulus turned quickly to face her again. "What do you mean the debt is paid? What have you agreed to Rachel?" She could hear the panic in his voice. "No, nothing like that. I have just agreed to continue my education in the direction in which he has instructed me to, so I will be more useful to him."

Regulus noticeably relaxed. Good. Just a career path. He wasn't marrying Regulus' true love off to another Death Eater. Regulus could live with this. He had avoided his worst fear.

His face then broke out into a smile as he pulled a letter from his pocket and handed it to her. As her eyes skimmed the letter the lit up, in the same moment Regulus exclaimed "Yes! Head Boy!"

She beamed. This was excellent. Regulus deserved all this and more. Her smile only faltered when he then continued to say, "I'm sure yours is in the post today of course, there is no other worthy choice."

The woman fidgeted uncomfortably for a moment. She looked down at her fingers and said to them rather than to him, "Well no, see that wouldn't really make sense to have a student from another school as Head Girl."

Regulus' face scrunched up with confusion. "What do you..?" She looked up at him sheepishly and replied. "My debt. My family debt rather. I must attend Durmstrang for my 7th year and take higher level courses in the Dark Arts."

Never in his life had Regulus cursed Rachel's foolish older brothers more. And her parents for dying before they straightened the goons out. Now they had landed themselves in Azkaban and she was left to repay their debt to the Dark Lord.

Rachel grabbed Regulus' hands and smiled sadly. "But it is one year. Think, he could have forced me to do much worse. One year and we will be together. One more year my love." Regulus thought for a moment and finally sighed.

"You're right. This we can overcome." Rachel's face broke into a real smile now. "I shall owl you everyday Reg! I'll send howlers screaming how much I miss you in front of all of our housemates to hear! I wouldn't want any girls getting the wrong idea about me being gone you know…"

As she prattled on about nonsense like that Regulus couldn't help but smile. He had to have the most wonderful life in the world.

Three months later, in the back of a blacked out town car Rachel Lestrange was holding a file, her file, in her hands. She flipped through it. This was the information heading to Durmstrang Institute on her.

But, of course, being as well connected as she was, Rachel had access to the file long before the Headmaster of the school would ever see it. She had spent the last few hours reading it as they traversed across the continent, northwards to her new home. But she still was dissatisfied with a few things.

All of it was true. But some of the things included bothered her. It focused highly on her home life in the beginning. Citing her detentions as "acting out" for her brothers' imprisonment, or parents' deaths.

This was false. Her detentions were strictly the results of her- oh there it was. Right in paragraph seven, page two. "Superiority complex to rival that of Merlin himself." Ah yes, Minerva McGonagall had written this bit.

Others were kinder, and all the same as true. "Her mastery of Defense Against the Dark Arts exceeds the teacher's own. She is ready for more complex forms of the class." At least Professor Fawke had been helpful.

Slughorn's review of her bordered on an ode to her charm and wit with praise of her potion-brewing sprinkled in. She scowled. He was brainless.

The other things that bothered her were the mentions of her relationship with Regulus and her family's involvement with the Dark Lord. It was really unnecessary for those things to be in there.

She pulled out her wand to omit such information but paused. She considered the information in the file for a moment and came to the conclusion that it would only make her a more desirable student to most of the professors at Durmstrang.

Rachel looked out the window of the town car. She was feeling thoughtful now. What would her life be like at the new school? Certainly lonelier with no Regulus. But she considered the alternative, marrying someone else, and decided a year at Durmstrang was not a problem. Merely an inconvenience.

Finally after many hours she arrived at the Institute. Her driver opened the doors for her and not one moment more did a hand extend to hers and help her.

Rachel's eyes followed the tan hand up the dark muscular arm, to the well-dressed man standing before her. His tanned skin didn't take away from his semi-aristocratic features. He still had a square jaw, and prominent hair line that met golden wavy hair. His green eyes stood out brilliantly on his face. He was truly very handsome if she thought about it.

Of course she didn't. Which is why she pulled her hand out of his grasp as soon as she was standing. She regarded him for a moment before speaking.

"Evan." Her lips formed a thin line indicating she wasn't pleased, though surprised to see him.

He grinned widely. He was not surprised, though pleased, to see her. "Rachel, the pleasure is all mine."

Rachel's eyes narrowed as she responded, "Yes, is certainly is. What are you doing here?"

During their walk up the front gates of the school Evan detailed how he as well had been selected, by the Dark Lord, to attend this Institute for his 7th year of education.

As they reached the entrance to the Main Hall Rachel turned to Evan, " I suppose I will retire to my dormitory and settle in before the beginning of the year feast."

Evan took her hand and kissed it. "Until dinner then." Rachel scowled again, withdrawing her hand immediately.

"Keep it to yourself Evan." She quickly retreated up the stair case and found her room. She had been on a tour of the huge school before and recalled where she would be staying.

She sat down and did what she knew she had to do. Ruin his first day back at Hogwarts.

"_Dear Regulus. Evan is here. I'm not sure what the Dark Lord wants from me now. I await further instructions. But I stress you remember that as always I am yours and will be forever. Nothing will change that._

_Forever,_

_Rachel."_


End file.
